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Monday, October 17, 2011

Fun Traditions, Garden View Tea Lounge.

As mentioned previously, Adam and I have our favorite Disney food haunts. One of the most endearing and sentimental is afternoon tea over at The Grand Floridian.
Both avid tea drinkers at the time, we wanted to extend our love of caffeine into our vacation time. (not to mention our love of food...) We made a reservation for The Garden View Tea Lounge on our second trip to Disney World and have been going ever since.

Adam ready for tea time.

more after the jump...

I have to admit, there is something intimidating about going to afternoon tea. Sure, I'm a snobby gay guy, but at the time I was also 22 years old and felt quite uncomfortable in any stuffy situation. The thing about Disney World...there is ALWAYS someone dressed more comfortably than you, so don't worry too much about dress code here. (leave that to Jiko and Artists Point...other favorites of ours)

Me, with my young face and bad hair...

The tea selection here is actually quite good, especially considering the lack of tea in the parks. There is a decent selection of black, green, white and even rooibos tea. There are also fruity herbal teas...if you are that kind of person. The white jasmine tea is delicious and delicate and the oolong tea (my favorite) is strong and wonderful. Very bold, as tea goes.

Tea sandwiches!

The food here is limited, as the focus is on tea and relaxation. They are grouped into packages including, among other things, tea sandwiches, cheese plates, scones, and dessert pastries. We usually opt for the Sally Lunn Tea which includes the delightfully dense Sally Lunn bread with apricot preserves! Yum.

Hello Mr. Swan.

Imagine yourself stuffed to the gills with terrific sandwiches, scones, cheese, tea and whatever else you may have enjoyed. Then, out of nowhere your very attentive and lovely server wheels over the magnificent DESSERT TROLLEY! Yes, a bountiful display of mobile pastries. Take your pick and enjoy. I love the trifle, as it has no strawberries in it.

Don't be intimidated at the thought of afternoon tea on vacation. This is a wonderful way to break up your day of touring the parks! Hop on the monorail after a long morning in the Magic Kingdom, cozy up in the well lit, charming room and relax for a bit.